Decisions at the End of Life: The Illusion of Control and the Sense of Responsibility

More than 2 million people die every year in the United States, almost always in the presence of life-sustaining medical technology. Sometimes the choices posed by medical technology make death the least worst

alternative. Yet, choosing death, or letting go, is often a painful and contentious business. Bioethicist Dr. Stuart Youngner, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, explores some of the ways our society and others are coping with this unavoidable dilemma